Not applicable.
This invention relates to slide-out support systems for recreational vehicles.
Slide-out support systems for recreational vehicles are well known and typically include a set of rails which are slidable relative to a structure which is stationary relative to the vehicle frame. The slidable rails typically support a room of the recreational vehicle which is extended to expand the interior volume of the vehicle when it is parked, and retracted to pull in the sides of the vehicle for transport over the road.
Because space is at a premium in a recreational vehicle, slide-out systems are sometimes used to conserve and efficiently utilize the available space without actually expanding it. One such application is to the bed in a recreational vehicle. For all practical purposes, the bed is only used at night. To maximize usable space during the day, if the bed is stowed, or at least partially stowed, more space is available. The present invention is directed at a slide-out which can be mounted on the floor of a recreational vehicle to support a fixture such as a bed, so that it can be stowed for an efficient utilization of space during the day, and moved to an in-use position when it is used.
The invention therefore provides a slide-out system which can be mounted inside a recreational vehicle by fixing a base frame of the system to the floor of the vehicle. The base frame has spaced apart upstanding side plates to which are rotatably mounted rollers, preferably on the outsides of the side plates. Each side plate preferably mounts two rollers which are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction and all four rollers have their axes preferably co-planar. Each set of rollers is received in a corresponding U-shaped channel which the rollers roll on to extend or retract the channel. The channels are preferably attached to one another by opposite end members so as to make a rigid structure of the two channels and the end member. In addition, to reduce or eliminate racking of the movable structure, each channel has a rack secured to it and a gear supported by the side plates of the base frame meshes with each rack. The gears are connected by a rigid shaft so that they must turn together, so that the two rails must extend and retract together. The shaft connecting the two gears is preferably driven by an electric motor and gear box drive.
The invention therefor provides a slide-out system which is easy to apply inside a recreational vehicle to conserve space and to operate, and which has sufficient structural integrity to be useful to support items such as a bed.